Program to Prevent Infections in Cancer Patients Hits Home
Categories: Healthcare-associated infections, Patients
October 23rd, 2013 10:04 am ET - CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog
Lisa Splitlog
Director, CDC Value Communications
CDC Foundation
As a CDC Foundation staff member, I’m always proud to share with my family and friends how we help advance the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) lifesaving work through public-private partnerships that help protect our nation’s health security and contribute to a healthy economy. It’s exciting and fulfilling to work for an organization that makes a difference in the lives of so many.
Over the last few months, though, one of our partnerships with Amgen focused on preventing infections in cancer patients has really hit home for me. I was recently diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer and am currently undergoing eight rounds of chemotherapy, which will be followed by surgery and radiation. It has been an overwhelming diagnosis that has impacted virtually every area of my life—from the wig I wear to cover my bald head to the fatigue and loss of appetite that I typically experience after each round of chemo. Someone compared chemo to “being hit by a bus,” and that’s exactly what it feels like.
After my diagnosis and development of a treatment plan, I recalled the CDC Foundation’s collaboration with Amgen, which is focused on preventing infections in cancer patients during chemotherapy. I visited the enhanced website, www.preventcancerinfections.org
Thanks to the campaign, I can now remember the simple phrase “3 Steps Forward. Prepare. Prevent. Protect.” I know better what to look for and what to do about it—from watching out for fever to cleaning my hands and knowing the signs and symptoms of an infection. It’s simple yet vital information that could save my life, and if routinely followed in health care settings could save the lives of so many others.
My colleagues at the CDC Foundation are a positive, optimistic force at this difficult time. My office is filled with flowers and cards, and people often stop by for a quick check-in or word of encouragement. Their actions are truly a reflection of the character and compassion of the CDC Foundation.
And on a very personal level, it’s reassuring to know that the interactive online education program made possible by this collaboration can help cancer patients like me take action to prevent and control infections during chemotherapy. I like being able to take positive steps to impact my health. As one colleague, who is also a breast cancer survivor, reminded me, “You have cancer. Cancer does not have you.”
About the Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients Program
The Preventing Infections in Cancer Patientsprogram was created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation
This post originally appeared on the CDC Foundation’s blog
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